Over the past few years the rate of development in the city has accelerated at such a rapid rate that often, before a community member has an opportunity to even lend a voice, the moment where critical dialogue could have occurred will have passed, leaving in its wake a trail of missed opportunities.
But there are those, from the business community to artists to our educational institutions, who have people beginning to understand that a city is more than the development of a space. A city, to these folks, is more than brick and mortar.
One group is hosting a new series of workshops on the domains of public culture and has roots in Grand Valley State University. The Office of Public Culture is headed up by Professor of Art and Civic Studio creator Paul Wittenbraker and includes students and alumni of GVSU.
This workshop seeks to unlock the mystery of these spaces and places as they explore the domains of the public space within our cities. All the while, they'll seek to address areas of civic activity around five domains: public imaginaries, public things, public spaces, public practices, and public events. The creation of these domains for study is an effort to organize the work relative to the many challenges and crises going on in public culture today – a topic we began to explore in Rapid Growth last fall.
"In these workshops we want to engage participants in a dialog about public culture, using the domains as an analytical tool, ultimately to further inform how we structure the Office and to give some priority to the subject we could engage," says Wittenbraker. "We are introducing the domains as an analytical tool, but also a guide for creative production. Essentially, these domains and problems suggest what an Office for Public Culture should do."
So whether you are an alumni of a former event of the Office of Public Culture or simply have been curious to know more about the development and challenges of the modern city, both here and around the world, then this is a workshop you might want to consider attending.
*Please note that Tuesday's event is not held on Bridge Street but at the GVSU Allendale Campus, Exhibition Space in the Atrium (lower) level of the Mary Idema Pew Library.
Admission: Free (except as noted above.)
More Info